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Jazz Series Concert Features Saxophonist Donny McCaslin

Critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin showcases his “roof-raising” talents Friday, February 25 at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel as part of the 2010-11 Lawrence University Jazz Series. McCaslin will be joined by the Lawrence Brass.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors, and $15-17 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton or by calling 920-832-6749.

“Donny McCaslin definitely belongs in any discussion of top jazz saxophonists like Chris Potter and others,” said tubist Marty Erickson, a member of the Lawrence Brass. “He is very comfortable playing hard funk and a kind of high-energy post-bebop, but he also can render a ballad with the best of them.”

One of the pieces The Lawrence Brass will perform with McCaslin will be from his 2009 CD “Declarations,” which was ranked 12th on a list of favorite jazz CDs of 2009 by the website The Jazz Spectrum.

Described by Jazz Times as a “versatile” musician who plays with a “fluidity and grace,” McCaslin first picked up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12 and
participated in the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival’s California All-Star band while still in high school. After attending the Berklee College of Music, McCaslin toured with The Gary Burton Quintet for four years.

Based in New York since 1991, McCaslin has turned heads with his solo work in ensembles such as the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Ken Schaphorst Big Band. He earned a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for his work on the album “Concert in the Garden.”

McCaslin’s Feb. 25 concert will mark a return to Appleton. He previously performed as principal soloist on former Lawrence jazz studies director Ken Schaphorst’s composition “Uprising,” a big-band work that has its world premiere performed in the spring of 1996 by the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. The piece was later released on Schaphorst’s CD “Purple,” with McCaslin’s work winning rave reviews from the jazz media.

His discography features eight recordings as a leader, including the horn-infused “Declarations,” as well as many important sideman credits with the likes of fellow saxophonist David Binney, drummers Johnathan Blake and Antonio Sanchez and bassist Scott Colley.

Classic Czech Opera “The Bartered Bride” Comes to Stansbury Theatre

Four performances of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s classic opera “The Bartered Bride” will be staged Feb. 17-20 at Lawrence University. The comedic tale of match making and marriage will be performed Feb. 17-19 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Set in a 19th-century Bohemian village, the opera follows the relationship between Mařenka and Jenik. The two are in love, but Mařenka’s father owes a debt to Micha, a wealthy, older man. Micha wants Mařenka to marry his son, Vašek, and he’s coming to town to seal the deal.

“Smetana and librettist Karel Sabina teamed together to craft a romantic comedy filled with plot twists and sibling rivalry,” said Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, who is directing the production. “The story reveals that unflappable loyalty and cleverness can overcome even the most intractable adversity. Mařenka’s inner strength and patience prove the perfect complement to Jenik’s quiet but confident ability to trick his superiors into giving the young couple exactly what they want and deserve.”

The second opera written by Smetana, “The Bartered Bride” premiered in 1866. By the mid-1870s, it was arguably the most popular Czech opera of all time — and many would say it still is. Smetana’s operas established him as a founding father of Czech classical music and this brilliant comedy has become a standard in opera houses around the world.

Smetana’s music is rooted in the traditions of Czech folk music, though the appeal of his melodies is universal,” said Bonnie Koestner, associate professor of music and vocal coach for the production. “We will be performing ‘The Bartered Bride’ in an English translation, so that our audience can directly enjoy the wit and emotion of the opera.”

The production also features a lively dance section in each of its three acts. The dances are choreographed by Monica Rodero, a member of the Milwaukee-based Wild Space Dance Company, which has an artist-in-residency agreement with Lawrence.

“Monica’s setting of the polka in the first act and a furiant in the second act makes a delight for the eye as well as the ear,” said Troy.

The production features a double cast of 50 performers. Junior Julia Steiner (Thur./Sat.) and senior Cassie Glasser (Fri./Sun.) portray Mařenka while seniors Nik Ross (Thurs./Sat.) and Justin Berkowitz (Fri./Sun.) play Jeník. Vašek is portrayed by seniors Pat MacDevitt (Thurs./Sun.) and Alex Gmeinder (Fri./Sun.).

Professor of Music David Becker conducts the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra for the performances.

Senior Rodrigo Ruiz Conducts Professional Orchestra in Mexico City

It’s perfectly understandable if Rodrigo Ruiz is just a tad nervous these days. After all, it’s not every day someone makes their professional conducting debut while still a student.

The Lawrence University senior will lead the Mexican Orchestra of the Arts Sunday, Feb. 6 in an all-Beethoven symphonic concert in Mexico City’s most prestigious concert hall, the 2,300-seat Sala Nezahualcóyotl.

Ruiz, who grew up in Baja California and now makes his home in San Diego, will conduct the professional orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Leonore III Overture, the Emperor Piano Concerto, with guest pianist Mauricio Náder, and the Fifth Symphony.

A piano performance major, Ruiz has taken conducting tutorials with David Becker, Lawrence director of orchestral studies, since his sophomore year. He spent the 2009-10 academic year as the student assistant conductor of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra.

“There are many things I enjoy about conducting the LSO, but this is going to be very different,” said Ruiz, who is currently on leave, but plans to return to campus for commencement exercises in June. “This is an older, professional orchestra and the musicians all feel they know what they’re doing already. But if I can get them to open up and really work with me, then they will realize that even if I’m only 22, I still have something to say. If they’re receptive, we can do something great together.”

Ruiz was chosen for the guest conducting position through a cultural program run by the state of Baja California based in part on video footage he submitted. The program is designed to assist talented young artists with their career development and is modeled on Venezuela’s “El Sistema” program, which has produced such talents as Gustavo Dudamel, currently the principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Becker hailed Ruiz as “a most talented young conductor with great potential.”

“His musical gifts and dedicated commitment combined with his sincere love of humanity and the music will properly guide him through this outstanding professional conducting opportunity. I wish him only the best with his very bright future.”

Ruiz is approaching the concert with the goal of making a meaningful connection with his audience, which will include his parents.

“My job as a conductor is to present myself just as a metal would conduct electricity so that this beautiful music written by these great composers can flow through me and reach the essence of the audience,” said Ruiz, who began rehearsals with the orchestra on Tuesday in preparation for Sunday’s concert.

Mexico City's Sala Nezahualcóyotl concert hall features seating behind the orchestra as well as in front.

“It is a huge thrill to work with a orchestra like this, especially in the Sala Nezahualcóyotl, which is the most important hall in Mexico. Some people consider it the most important concert hall in all of Latin America. It’s a little shocking to think I will be standing in this magnificent hall making my professional conducting debut. It is a little bit daunting, but very exciting, too.”

Award-winning Soprano Measha Brueggergosman Brings “Voluptuous Voice” to Lawrence Memorial Chapel

Critically acclaimed Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman brings her innate musicianship, voluptuous voice and a sovereign stage presence far beyond her years to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. as the second concert in the 2010-11 Lawrence University Artist Series.

Tickets, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors and $15-17 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office in the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton or by calling 920-832-6749.

Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of rare gifts and artistic intensity,” the 33-year-old native of New Brusnwick, Canada, has emerged as one of the most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities touring today. She burst onto the scene in 1998 at the age of 20, singing the lead role in the premiere of the opera “Beatrice Chancy” in Toronto. Since then, she has drawn praise for performances throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.

Joanne Bozeman, who teaches in the voice department of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, said Brueggergosman’s passionate approach to performing captivates her audiences.

“Measha is enjoying an active, world-class career and for good reason,” said Bozeman. “She not only has a fabulous, beautifully colorful lyric soprano voice, she performs convincingly in a broad range of genres, languages and venues. Her public image seems to be that of a young, free spirit, but it belies her intense musical sophistication and ability to elicit subtle tonal shading in her singing. She has strong and compelling ideas about the texts of what she sings – perfect for the intimate genre of art song.”

Brueggergosman, who has been known to sing in her bare feet, has performed at many of the world’s great concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall and Paris’ famed Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She has sung with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra and gave a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. She showcased her talents to a world-wide audience of more than three billion viewers when she sang the Olympic Hymn — in English and French — at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games last February.

She was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2002 Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Competition and was a prizewinner at The Dutch International Vocal Competition’s-Hertogenbosch, the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo and the ARD Music Competition in Munich, among others.

Profiled in the CBC-broadcast documentary “Spirit in her Voice,” Brueggergosman also has served as host of the European television cultural variety show “Arte Lounge.”

Curator, Public Art Advocate Mary Jane Jacob Delivers Lawrence University Convocation

Curator, author and educator Mary Jane Jacob discusses the changing dynamics of public art Tuesday, Feb. 8 in an address at Lawrence University.

Jacob, an independent curator and executive director of exhibitions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, presents “The Collective Creative Process” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton. Jacob also will conduct a question-and-answer session at 2 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center cinema.

Both presentations, part of Lawrence’s 2010-2011 convocation series, are free and open to the public.

A former chief curator at both the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and later with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Jacob has established herself as one of the country’s leaders in exploring art outside the museum context.

Starting with the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., Jacob has developed numerous experimental public art programs, including “Culture in Action,” a two-year project (1991-93) during which artists worked in direct partnership with community members to explore the changing nature of public art, its relationship to social issues and an expanded role of audience from spectator to participant. The project provided a new model for art in the urban context.

In 2000, Jacob co-organized a multi-year consortium effort — “Awake: Art, Buddhism and the Dimensions of Consciousness” — that engaged 50 museum and other arts professionals. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, “Awake” explored the relationships between Buddhist practices and the arts in America and the intersection of the mind in creativity, meditation and perception of art. It led to numerous exhibitions, performances, and public programs across the U.S.

As executive director of exhibitions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jacob is currently involved in the program “Living Modern Chicago.” Highlighting the program is the exhibition “Learning Modern” that uses the city as a living laboratory. It bridges the historic roots of American modernism in Chicago and its critical role in education in the mid-20th century while linking to the contemporary critical practices of artists, architects and designers.

Jacob earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in history of art and museum studies from the University of Michigan. She has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.

50-Hour Salute to the Insignificant Takes Center Stage as Lawrence University Hosts 46th Annual Trivia Contest

If it weren’t for an extended bout of insomnia his freshman year, Derrell Acon might never have risen to the exulted status of Grand Master for the 2011 Lawrence University Great Midwest Trivia Contest.

“As a freshman, I was only sleeping about every other day as it was, so students in Plantz Hall recruited me for their team, thinking I would make an ideal candidate,” said Acon, a fifth-year, double-degree senior from St. Louis, Mo. “There were times during that year’s contest I was the only person on the team who was awake.”

The following year, Acon helped Plantz Hall to a second-place finish among on-campus teams before crossing over from question answerer to question writer/asker in 2009. After two years as a trivia master, Acon was promoted to the proverbial big chair for this year’s contest.

Acon said he was the logical choice to orchestrate this year’s quizzical craziness.

“I have the most experience. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to handle it this year and make sure everything goes well.”

The 46th edition — yes, the contest predates the Super Bowl by a year — of the popular contest dedicated to the world’s most insignificant facts begins its 50-hour run Friday, Jan. 28 at its usual quirky time of 10:00:37 p.m. and continues through midnight Sunday, Jan. 30.

Lawrence President Jill Beck kicks off the insanity by asking the contest’s first question.

As the trivia contest’s first African-American grand master, Acon takes devilish delight in the fact the he might be the answer to one of the 350-questions typically asked in a future version of the same contest he is overseeing this year.

“It’s an honor. I can relate to Barack Obama,” Acon said with a laugh.

First held in 1966 as an alternative for students who didn’t participate in a serious academic retreat with professors, the trivia contest was originally broadcast over Lawrence’s campus radio station, WLFM. But since 2006, the contest has switched to an Internet-based format and will be webcast at www.lawrence.edu/sorg/trivia, allowing people from all corners of the world to participate.

Questions of varying point values range from mildly obscure to the ridiculously inconsequential. At various times, the contest will feature hour-long sessions of questions centered around such themes as death and destruction or all things cats.

While the contest’s unpredictably accounts for a good deal of its charm, there is one certainty heading into this year’s version: for the first time in a decade a new off-campus champion will be crowned. The Bank of Kaukauna, which has dominated the contest since the turn of the century, winning its 10^th consecutive title in 2010 by a mere five points, is abandoning contest supremacy for sociability.

“We always played to win, but we wanted to try something a little different this year,” explained John Brogan, who has hosted the 40-some members of the Bank of Kaukauna team at his parent’s home for the past 12 years. “The team came to a decision last year that we were possibly doing bad things for trivia. Teams were consolidating for the contest just to try to beat us. When you just have a few megateams, you undermine the inclusiveness of what trivia is all about.”

Brogan said many members of the defending champs are returning to the Fox Valley from around the country for this year’s contest, but will be more focused on embracing trivia’s credo: have fun.

“We’ve never served alcohol during trivia, but this year we’re going to relax that rule a little bit,” said Brogan, who has been extended the honor of asking the contest’s first “garruda” question. “In the spirit of trivia, we want to just have fun, see people we only get to see once a year at trivia time and just enjoy the contest.”

As always, the contest begins Friday evening with the last question of the previous contest — the virtually unanswerable 100-point Super Garruda question. While no one correctly answered it last year, most teams will be able to start this year’s contest with 100 points because they’ll now know who is listed as the 2002 recipient on the plaque for the “Walt Haag Memorial Broken Propeller Award.” (Not me.)

Lawrence Symphony Orchestra Changes Sunday Concert “Kickoff” Time to Avoid Packer Game Conflict

When it is a choice between bassoons and blitzes, flutes and footballs, trombones and touchdowns in northeast Wisconsin, Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra Director David Becker knows where priorities lie.

To accommodate both music lovers and Packer Backers, Becker has moved up the time of the Sunday, Jan. 23 Lawrence Symphony Orchestra concert to 12:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The concert was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. The Green Bay Packers play the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

“I fully realize that there are people who are not interested in football and would still attend the LSO concert, but I’m also a realist and not just strictly arty,” said Becker. “The Packers game is obviously a major event not only in this area, but throughout the state and going head-to-head with the game would seriously diminish an audience for our concert.

“Instead of competing with the big game, we want to serve as a ‘musical tailgate’ to it,” Becker added. “We invite people to come and enjoy a great concert and then go cheer the Packers on to the Super Bowl.”

In keeping with the spirit of the day, people attending the concert are encouraged to wear their green and gold Packers gear.

Sunday’s 95-minute concert will feature works by Vaughan Williams, Poulenc and Rossini. Guest performers include Lawrence seniors Dario LaPoma and Hazim Suhadi, co-winners of the 2010-11 concerto competition and Lawrence Associate Professor of Music James DeCorsey, horn.

Derrell Acon Wins Metropolitan Opera District Audition

Lawrence University senior Derrell Acon will be one of 18 singers competing in the Upper Midwest Region finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Saturday, Feb. 5 in St. Paul, Minn.

Acon, a vocal performance and government major from St. Louis, Mo., advanced to the regional competition after being named one of four winners from among 25 singers at the five-state Metropolitan Opera’s district auditions Saturday, Jan. 15 in Lincoln, Neb. A bass-baritone, Acon performed the arias Come dal ciel precipita from Verdi’s “Macbeth” and La calunnia from Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.” He was awarded $1,200 for his winning performance.

At the February regional competition, Acon will compete for a trip to New York City to participate in the March 6 national semifinals competition held at the Metropolitan Opera.

Wellness Center grand opening by the numbers

More than 500 Lawrence students, faculty and staff attended the grand opening of the Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center January 12, touring the renovated facility and participating in a variety of wellness-related activities:

Wellness stations on the self-guided tour

Blood donors

First-time blood donors

Visitors completing a “passport to wellness”

Sport bags distributed to students faculty and staff

Grand opening prizewinners:

Julian Delfino (student)—CopperLeaf Hotel overnight stay with dinner and spa package
Linda Peeters (Conferences and Summer Programs)—Ladies Fuji bike with accessories and helmet
Nathan Groth (student)—Men’s Fuji bike with accessories and helmet
Joyce Lambert (student)—4 Personal training sessions with LU Head Athletic Trainer, Erin Buenzli
Natasha Pugh (student)— Massage Connection gift certificate
Andrew Finley (student)—Massage Connection gift certificate
Josh Dukelow (Development)—Bon Appetit healthy treat basket

And the opening is just the beginning!

Lawrence University hopes you will take advantage of all the Wellness Center has to offer, as well as participate in regular wellness events such as:

Join the “On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!” eight-week physical activity program. Pick up your activity log and a yellow WelLU wristband at the Wellness Center main entrance reception desk. Log your physical activity in increments of 10 minutes and when you’ve completed 400 minutes, turn your log in at the reception desk and receive a new log and green WelLU wristband. Record another 400 minutes of activity for a total of 800 minutes by Friday, March 11, and get a blue WelLU wristband. Wear your wristbands on campus to demonstrate your commitment to being physically active!
Check out the new Wellness Center website which is easily accessible through a link on the Lawrence University home page and be sure to visit the link to the WelLU website regularly. The WelLU website features:

FROM THE HEART – Share your personal wellness-related story and read success stories shared by other LU faculty, staff and students
SUGGESTION BOX – What type of wellness programs would you like to see on campus? Share your suggestions and your feedback with one simple online click
WelLU BLOG – Find out about the latest wellness “happenings” on campus
2011 MONTHLY HEALTH CALENDAR
NEWSLETTERS – featuring information and resources on the many dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, environmental, etc.)
PRESENTATIONS: View a video of John Shier’s March 2010 presentation to the Lawrence Community on “How To Live Long and Die Healthy”; View a variety of PowerPoint presentations and recorded webinars on topics such as “Getting Active”, “Letting Go Of Stress”, “Self-Care”, and more!
RECIPES
LINKS to Well City Fox Cities, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and many other respected organizations
LINKS to “Student Wellness”, “Health & Counseling Services”, “Athletics”, the “Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center”, “LU Library Wellness Resources”, “Smoke-Free Campus Map” and more!
Lawrence University’s Healthy Balance Statement
PHA’S – detailed annual aggregate Personal Health Assessment reports

Welcome to Wellness at Lawrence University!

Martin Luther King’s Enduring Spirit Theme of Community Celebration of Civil Rights Leader Hosted by Lawrence University

Ysaye Barnwell, author, actress, composer and long-time member of the internationally renowned African-American a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, delivers the keynote address at the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

The celebration, presented by Lawrence University and Toward Community: Unity in Diversity with the support of numerous Fox Valley organizations, churches and individuals, is free and open to the public. The Post-Crescent and WFRV-TV CBS 5 are media partners for the event.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Building a Vocal Community: The Enduring Spirit of Dr. King.”

“In 1967, Dr. King reminded us that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.’ That message is just as relevant today as it was then,” said Kathy Flores, the chair of the MLK Committee and the diversity coordinator for the city of Appleton. “While many years have passed since Dr. King was assassinated, it is still so important that we remember his work, which was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and also helped pave the way for the difficult conversations we continue to have today about race, economics, politics, religion, abilities, gender and sexual orientation.

“The Fox Cities certainly has changed considerably in the last 20 years,” Flores added, “but our visionary leaders who founded this celebration could see that our beautiful diversity would continue to grow and become something we embrace in the spirit of Dr. King.”

Pa Lee Moua, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs at Lawrence, said it is up to today’s citizens to create the kind of society King envisioned.

“A strong community replicates strong citizens, people who support, embrace and educate others on the importance of diversity, social justice and civic engagement,” said Moua. “As Dr. King said, ‘Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.’ He took the first step, now it is up to all of us to continue the journey. It is only then that we will be able to create a community that portrays equal opportunity, respect and justice for all.”

Barnwell joined Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1979 and has appeared as a vocalist and/or instrumentalist on more than 30 recordings with the ensemble and other artists.

During the past 25 years, Barnwell has established herself as a composer/arranger and master teacher in African-American cultural performance. She developed the workshop “Building a Vocal Community: Singing in the African-American Tradition” that utilizes African-American history, values, cultural and vocal traditions to build community among singers and non-singers alike. The workshop has been conducted around the world and her pedagogy serves as a model for educators, cultural activists and historians.

A native New Yorker who has lived in Washington, D.C., the past 40 years, Barnwell has written two children’s books and composed numerous commissioned works for choral, film, video, dance and theatrical projects, including “Truth Pressed to Earth Shall Rise,” a choral work in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. that premiered in 2003 by the Choral Arts Society of Washington, D.C.

Her acting credits include voice-over narration for film, video and radio productions, including the NPR documentary “W.C. Handy’s Blues” and appearances in the 1998 Jonathan Demme film “Beloved.”

Barnwell earned a Ph.D. in speech pathology from the University of Pittsburgh and taught for more than 10 years at Howard University. She later administered health programs at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center and at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Highlighting the celebration will be the presentation of Toward Community’s annual Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award, which honors an area individual who has made great strides in bringing different people in the community together.

The celebration also features readings by area student winners of the annual Martin Luther King essay contest and musical performances led by Barnwell, Lawrence junior Michael Pope, as well as other Lawrence students.

A sign language interpreter will be present for the program and a reception for all in attendance will be held following the event.

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